Keeping Promises
by Thisoneworksbetterthantwo
Summary: Max sets out on his journey. Along the way he makes new friends and discovers that being a trainer is not as easy as it looks. Max wants to beat the Hoenn league. Can he do it? What obstacles will he face? Read to find out!


**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I'm still new to fan fiction, so any feedback will help. Enjoy!**

Max tapped his feet nervously. He looked out the window of the plane in order to stay calm. Even though he was afraid of heights, it was still relaxing. Underneath the plane was deep blue ocean water. He rolled the shrunken pokeball around in his hand repeatedly. He adjusted his glasses and attempted to get some rest before he arrived. He tried to remember the events of last night.

"But Max! Professor Birch can give you a regular starter, just like everyone else!" argued May, loudly.

"No, May! No! I promised Ralts. You were there, remember? I promised. What if it's still waiting? What if it's been waiting for me for 3 years?" screamed Max, trying to suppress his tears. May placed her hands on her hips.

"What if it hasn't been waiting? What if it's been caught? Max, you're too stubborn to realize that it's probably long gone by now." chirped May, as gently as she could muster. Max's grip tightened on the map he was holding.

"It's there May. I know that it's still there. Patiently waiting for me on Izabe Island." Max persisted, as he slammed the map on the table and pointed out his destination. "Mom gave me enough money for a plane ticket from Petalburg to Izabe and another ticket from Izabe to Littleroot so I can start my journey where everyone else does. May, all I'm asking is to borrow one of your Pokemon just long enough to catch my Ralts. I'll send it back as soon as I do. May...Please..." begged an extremely upset Max. He took his glasses off and wiped his eyes. May sighed in defeat. How could she turn down her little brother? He had traveled with her and kept her safe on her journey. She owed him.

She clicked a pokeball off of her belt and placed it in his hand, "Here's Glaceon. Stay safe, Max." She hugged her brother.

Max opened his eyes. The plane shook gently. The flight attendant was walking down the aisle saying, "Everything's ok! It's only turbulence. We will arrive in about 2 hours!" Max sighed impatiently then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He dreamt of his travels with Ash, May, and Brock.

When he awoke everyone was getting up and exiting the plane. He walked through the airport and claimed his baggage: one small green backpack. He would have to live out of this pack for a long time. _Sacrifices will have to be made._ His dad's voice echoed in his head, reminding him that this journey won't always be easy. He was glad that his dad implanted all of these wise anecdotes into his head, because he was going to need them.

He stood at the front lobby of the airport and pulled his map out of his pocket. He had everything planned out. There was a big red line drawn from the airport to the forest in which he met Ralts. He knew he whole trip. He had been playing it through in his mind for months. He looked around and saw so many people walking by. He wanted to tell them all that he was going to be the best trainer ever. "Remember the name, Max Maple!" he wished that he could shout. Instead, he straightened his glasses and then headed for the door.

He walked about 3 miles down a dirt road. He passed a few wild Nidoran. The stroll was mostly uneventful, until he reached the bridge. Before him was a 100 foot long suspension bridge. It swayed menacingly in the wind. He could see the edge of the forest on the other side of the crevice, which was at least 75 feet deep. That was THE forest. The one in which his beloved Ralts would be waiting for him, but he would first have to cross this bridge.

He approached the edge and grabbed the rope railings. With a white knuckle grip, he took his first step onto the rickety wood panels. _God, I hate bridges _he thought, _how did I survive that plane ride?_ He grimaced with every step he had to take. Once he reached the middle, he could feel the bridge rock back and forth. He wanted it to be over. Goodness, he was so afraid. Max just continued to inch his way across. When he reached the other side, he laid down on the ground, gasping for air as if he had been drowning. Solid ground had never been so satisfying. Now his destination was so close. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and headed into the woods.

"Ralts! I'm back for you! I came back, just like I promised! Ralts!" shouted Max, happily. Green leaves blew around in the breeze. He looked behind every bush and in the tops of every tree that he passed. He had been walking for around 30 minutes and he had yet to find his soon-to-be companion. He refused to lose hope. "It's me, Max! I told you I would be back, now I'm here! Please come out!" Max begged out loud. Another 30 minutes of searching the forest passed by without sun was setting. Max began to lose his cool. He was running out of light, and he wanted to find his friend now.

_It's probably long gone by now._

May's words rang in his mind. He tried to push them out. He noticed that now he was running desperately. Why was he letting himself become so worked up?

_What if it hasn't been waiting?_

"Shut up!" Max shrieked. His eyes began to sting. The last orange rays of sunlight shone on his tear stained face. "How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered to himself. "Ralts!" he bellowed once more. The only answer was the unforgiving sound of leaves rustling in the wind. I_'m too late_. He knew it was true. Ralts was long gone, probably happily battling with its trainer. He sat down on the ground. The sun was completely below the horizon by now. Even though it was probably only 7:00, he wearily pulled out his sleeping bag and crawled into it. _Now what am I going to do?_ He continued to sob until he drifted into a not-so-peaceful sleep.

Max stood in the middle of the forest. It was the same forest that he had just been in, except the leaves were bright purple, the grass was light blue, and the sky was dark red. He was still calling out for his long lost friend. Finally he spotted it. The adorable Ralts was standing about 30 feet away. Max smiled and began walking towards it. The Ralts frowned and took one step away for every step that Max took toward it. Max felt hurt. "I come back for you, and this is how you repay me?" he chirped. He continued advancing until the two were in a dead sprint. He was losing ground on Ralts. Max's vision began to blur. He screamed as everything went black.

Max's eyes shot open. _Just a dream_. he sighed. Yesterday's events hit him like a freight train, and he was immediately in a horrible mood. _Huh? _he thought, as he felt a strange warm sensation on his chest. His fingers sensed something soft. With his free hand he reached around frantically for his glasses. He put them on and tried to make his sleepy eyes focus. He looked down to find the source of **the** sensation. When his vision finally became sharp, his heart melted. Sleeping in his arms was a sweet, little Ralts. Not just a Ralts, THE Ralts. His jaw dropped open. He pinched himself to make sure this wasn't another dream. Tears began forming in his eyes once again as he whispered, "Ralts?"

The small Pokemon yawned. It looked up at Max and let out a happy squeal. Max embraced this friend, which he had been waiting so long to see again. Tears of joy were pouring down his face. _Gosh, why do I keep crying?_ he thought, but he didn't care. Ralts was about to be his. The tiny Pokemon squirmed out of the sleeping bag and stood up defiantly. _Oh_, _right. I still have to catch it_

"Go, Glaceon!" shouted Max, as he tossed the pokeball into the air. May's beautiful blue Pokemon appeared. Max quickly realized that, if he wasn't careful, he could really hurt Ralts. Glaceon was a lot stronger. "Ice Beam, take it easy!" he commanded. A stream of ice shot out of its mouth and struck Ralts, leaving its right arm and leg frozen solid. Ralts used psychic to break out of the ice and send shards flying back at its opponent. "Dodge!" shrieked Max. Glaceon danced around and avoided all but one. One of the sharp piece dug into its fur, causing it to whimper. _Wow, it's stronger than I thought._ "Glaceon, iron tail!" ordered Max. Glaceon charged at the tiny psychic Pokemon. It slammed its silver tail into Ralts, knocking Max's future best friend into a tree. Ralts retaliated with magical leaf. The glowing leaves appeared from no where and bombarded Glaceon. "Get back, and finish this with blizzard!" Glaceon's eyes began to glow as the temperature around them dropped at least 30 degrees. The icy winds and hail knocked the already tired Ralts off of its feet. _Now's my chance._ "Pokeball, go!" he screamed as he threw his greatball at Ralts. He crossed his fingers and mentally counted each time the pokeball wiggled. _One...Two...Three._ When he heard the final click, he fell to the ground and started giggling manically.

"YES! YES!" he squealed. He sprinted over to the pokeball and released his new friend to join in celebration. He picked up Ralts and threw it in the air, only to catch it on the way down. He realized that he was crying again. _Dang it, whatever._ He pulled his digital camera out of his backpack and snapped a picture of himself, holding Ralts. His glasses were crooked. He was crying and covered in mud, but he couldn't care less. He wanted to remember this moment forever: the moment his journey started.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Later on some OC's of mine will enter into this story. Please review, thanks for reading! **


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